The Genoese republic had possessions in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region, which it used as trading points. Of these were the islands – Corsica, Gorgona, Capraia, Cyprus, Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Tabarka, continental possessions were territories in the Crimea, the Black Sea cities of Samsun, Sinop, Samastro, etc., cities nearby with Constantinople – Galata and Pera. All this was called the Genoese Empire.
Foundation
At the beginning of the eleventh century, Genoa became a self-governing commune within the Italian kingdom. Already in the early period of its existence, Genoa became an important trading center and could already compete with a city like Venice. It began its expansion during the Crusades, providing its fleet for transportation, and seized several territories in the Middle East, deploying active trade there.
In the XIII century, the Genoese republic entered into an alliance with the Nicene empire and helped it regain Constantinople in 1261. The union allowed Genoa to freely trade on the vast territory of the Byzantine Empire. In the same years, many islands in the Aegean Sea were captured. The most important was the island of Chios, which was lost only in 1566.
Soon, the Republic advanced its trade interests to the Black and Azov Seas, where it began to control, in particular, many settlements in the Crimea.
In the western Mediterranean, the main rival of Genoa was Pisa, which was eventually defeated in the sea battle of Meloria in 1284. As a result of the victory, Genoa gained the island of Corsica, and later control of northwest Sardinia. In the rivalry between the Angevins and the Aragonese for control of Sicily (after the “Sicilian Vespers” of 1283), Genoa decided to support the Kingdom of Aragon, the victorious side, which allowed it to quickly join the Sicilian economy.
Drop
As a result of the economic crisis of Europe at the end of the XIV century, as well as the long war with Venice , which peaked in defeat at Chioggia, the Republic of Genoa entered the period of decline. The growing power of the Ottoman Empire greatly weakened the Genoese influence in the Aegean Sea, which no longer allowed it to trade in the Black Sea.
From 1499 to 1528, under the constant French occupation, the republic fell into extreme decay. The Spaniards, with their allies from the “old nobility,” entrenched themselves in the mountains behind Genoa. May 30, 1522 they attacked the city and subjected it to merciless robbery. When the great admiral Andrea Doria from the powerful dynasty of Doria teamed up with Emperor Charles V in order to expel the French from Genoa and restore its independence, the city had new perspectives.
Revival
Now a junior ally of the Spanish Empire, the Republic of Genoa began to experience its rebirth. In particular, the Genoese bankers, who had their representatives in Seville, financed many enterprises of the Spanish Crown. Fernand Braudel even called the period between 1557 and 1627 the “Age of Genoa”: “It’s been a rule”. Despite the fact that the modern tourist passes by the brilliant Mannerist and Baroque palazzo, which overlooks Strada Nova (now Via Garibaldi ) or Via Balbi, it’s hard not to notice that all this conspicuous wealth, which was not in fact Genoese, was concentrated in the hands of a narrow circle of bankers, financiers, which are now called “ venture capitalists ”.
The opening of the Genoese Banking Consortium was preceded by the state bankruptcy of Philip II in 1557, which plunged the German banking houses into chaos and marked the end of the Fugger domination of Spain’s finances. The Genoese bankers provided the cumbersome Habsburg system with loans and, last but not least, with a steady and reliable income. In return, less reliable supplies of American silver were made through Seville to Genoa, replenishing capital for future high-risk enterprises.
But the activity of the Genoese did not end with the economy, for example, the Genoese banker Ambrosio Spinola equipped and led the army in one of the companies of the Eighty Years War, which took place in the Netherlands in the early 17th century. The decline of Spain in the XVII century led to the decline of Genoa. The frequent bankruptcies of the Spanish kings largely contributed to the ruin of a significant number of Genoese bank houses.
End of the Republic
Genoa continued to experience decline in the 17th century and in 1768 was forced to sell Corsica to France. However, Genoa was still richer than Venice and was an important trading center.
In 1742, the last possession of Genoa on the Mediterranean Sea – the island-fortress Tabarka – was conquered by Tunisia. In 1797, Genoa was occupied by the troops of the First French Republic under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, who overthrew the old elite and included the city and all the lands in the Ligurian Republic.
After the seizure of power in France, Napoleon adopted a more conservative constitution, but the history of the Ligurian republic was short – in 1805 France annexed it and divided its territory into the departments of the Apennines, Genoa and Montenotta. After the defeat of Napoleon I in the spring of 1814, the local elite, inspired by the British statesman Cavendish, proclaimed the restoration of the old Republic, but at the Congress of Vienna it was decided that Genoa should be given to the Sardinian kingdom. The British forces suppressed the Republic in December 1814 and on January 3, 1815 they annexed it to the Sardinian kingdom.
Sources:
Fernand Braudel. The Perspective of the World // Civilization and Capitalism
Will durant The Renaissance. MJK Books
Fernand Braudel. Civilization and Capitalism
Janice Alberti Russell. The Italian community in Tunisia